Hard drive noise

[lmcintyre]

my mac mini is making allot of (what sounds to me like hard drive) noise. Primarily during startup and when I launch applications. This just started today, should I be worried?

 

[WildCowboy]

Can you describe the noise? Spinning? Grinding? Clicking?

What does Disk Utility say? S.M.A.R.T. status? Try verifying the disk.

 

[lmcintyre]

Can anyone explain what this means?

 

[imacintel]

Boot up from your Mac OS X discs that came with your computer,and go into disk utility. Click on your HD, and click Repair.